


aux derniers les bons morceaux

by phantasme



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Cannibalism, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-21
Updated: 2014-04-21
Packaged: 2018-01-20 07:37:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1502099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantasme/pseuds/phantasme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dr. Lecter invites Will Graham to help him make dinner. Essentially, a brief tête-à-tête between the two as they cook together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	aux derniers les bons morceaux

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mlb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mlb/gifts).



> The title is a French proverb with the idiomatic meaning "the sweetest flesh is near the bones" - or, treat the root cause, rather than the symptoms. 
> 
> For Madeleine xx

"What is  _that_?" Graham leaned over the counter to peer at Lecter's handiwork, his forehead creased in an expression of mild distaste. His glasses reflected the pale glow of the kitchen lights as he tilted his chin down, and Lecter smiled slightly. 

"It's veal," he said reassuringly, glancing sidelong at Graham as he rinsed the thin strip of meat under the tap. Practiced hands skimming caressingly over the pearl-pink surface of the flesh. Gaze focused steadily on his guest. 

Graham shifted his weight from his left to his right foot and back again, and gripped the edge of the counter tightly. "Is veal always that light in color? I thought red meat was, you know, redder."

Lecter replied easily: "It appears paler when thinly sliced, and when taken from a very young calf." With deliberate, delicate movements, he shook the water droplets from the meat and laid it in a pan. Something akin to a nervous laugh caught in Graham's throat. 

"I don't quite know how I feel about eating a 'very young calf.'" 

Lecter raised his eyebrows at him an expression of gentle reproof, and wiped his hands carefully on a dish towel before reaching across the counter to lay his hand on Graham's. "There is no need to be distressed. The calf suffered no real pain, you know, and I wonder - its life was too short to possess any real meaning. Don't you agree?"

Graham recoiled from the contact, but Lecter's voice was persuasive, and after a moment he allowed the chill of the doctor's hand to spread through his own veins. " - You wonder," he remarked after a long pause, staring down at Lecter's hand on his. With his free index finger, he rubbed at his temple distractedly, and adjusted his glasses. "I, too - wonder - about the qualities that make a life meaningful - and worthwhile." 

Lecter regarded him thoughtfully. After a beat he slid his hand off Graham's, then held it out to him - an invitation. "Would you like to help me cook, Will?"

Graham hesitated, eyebrows drawing together in surprised skepticism, and pulled his hand back a fraction. 

"It would be an honor to have you by my side," Lecter added quietly, measuring Graham's reaction with watchful eyes. The minutes ticked by; the clicking of the clock hands resounded crisply off the kitchen counters. The slice of meat glistened in the light, filling the empty space between Lecter and Graham. 

Finally, Graham moved slowly to the other side of the counter, his cautious gaze never wavering from Lecter's face. The two men stared at each other for another moment - then Graham took Lecter's still-outstretched hand in his own. Without saying a word or releasing Lecter's hand, he turned towards the ingredients the doctor had laid out on the counter, and the meat that dominated the scene with its subtle, rosy sheen. In similar fashion, Lecter resumed his work, using one hand to stir the sauce he had begun preparing earlier. "Would you be good enough to hand me the oregano, Will?" he inquired kindly, and the other obliged silently. "Tonight's dinner's name, by the way, was John," he added randomly, almost as though speaking to himself.

Graham looked at him sharply. "You mean the calf's name was John?"

Lecter smiled again, squeezing Graham's hand affectionately.

"Yes," he said. "That's _exactly_ what I mean."  


End file.
